True Story

"Mind-blowing, page-turning, un-put-downable."-Elif Batuman, author of The IdiotTracing the fifteen-year fallout of a toxic high school rumor, a riveting, astonishingly original debut novel about the power of stories-and who gets to tell them2015. A gifted and reclusive ghostwriter, Alice Lovett makes a living helping other people tell their stories. But she is haunted by the one story she can't tell: the story of, as she puts it, "the things that happened while I was asleep."1999. Nick Brothers and his lacrosse teammates return for their senior year at their wealthy Maryland high school as the reigning state champions. They're on top of the world-until two of his friends drive a passed-out girl home from of the team's "legendary" parties, and a rumor about what happened in the backseat spreads through the town like wildfire.The boys deny the allegations, and, eventually, the town moves on. But not everyone can. Nick descends into alcoholism, and Alice builds a life in fits and starts, underestimating herself and placing her trust in the wrong people. When she finally gets the opportunity to confront the past she can't remember-but which has nevertheless shaped her life-will she take it?An inventive and breathtaking exploration of a woman finding her voice in the wake of trauma, True Story is part psychological thriller, part fever dream, and part timely comment on sexual assault, power, and the very nature of truth. Ingeniously constructed and full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the final pages, it marks the debut of a singular and daring new voice in fiction.Story Locale: Baltimore, MD; New York, NY; Barcelona, Spain

BUZZY PUBLICATION FROM A BRILLIANT DEBUT AUTHOR: True Story was an Indie Next pick and a Book of the Month add-on selection, and was also named one of the hottest books of the summer by Entertainment Weekly and Buzzfeed, with much more publicity to come.A TIMELY STORY: True Story explores, through compulsively readable storytelling, some of the most pressing issues around sexual assault, toxic masulinity, and the power of stories and who gets to tell them that have been reverberating through our culture.AN INNOVATIVE PAGE-TURNER: True Story is the rare novel that manages to be both intricate in the telling and completely accessible. Incorporating horror and noir elements, it also includes sections told in different narrative forms, such as emails, film scripts, and even a college essay-a section that recalls the famous PowerPoint chapter in A Visit From the Goon Squad in its originality.A BOOK YOU'LL NEED TO TALK ABOUT: This is that compulsive yet thought-provoking novel you'll race to finish so you can talk about it.